Proposed Space National Guard Gathers Momentum – By Jacqueline Feldscher (Defense One) / May 4 2021
A space-focused branch of the Guard would aim to give the Space Force “a surge-to-war capability” in times of conflict.
The National Guard will soon deliver recommendations to the defense secretary on how to establish a space-focused component of the part-time volunteer force, an effort the Guard’s top general calls one of his “most pressing concerns.”
But lawmakers want to know what the new organization will cost, suggesting they may have some of the same concerns about soaring costs and bureaucracy that hounded the Space Force when it was established in December 2019.
Gen. Daniel Hokanson, the chief of the National Guard, said he’s “fairly close” to briefing Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on recommendations to establish a Space National Guard, and that he has already briefed Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks.
He’s expecting to meet with acting Air Force Secretary John Roth on Wednesday to prepare for the meeting with Austin, but he said the Air Force secretary and Chief of Space Operations Gen. Jay Raymond have already agreed on the plan to establish a space-specific guard in addition to a combination active and reserve component.
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